Friday, June 15, 2012

St. Louis' Best Balls! Installment 1: Pita + & Gokul

I apologize if you are not into gushing over one's city, as this is the second post in a row in which I will do so. What can I say? St. Louis is an awesome place! We have lots of talented people and tons of great food. As part of the Year of the Balls, I thought I'd highlight some of the best balls this fine city has to offer. And, boy, we sure have some balls. Here is the first 2 in this new recurring series (balls should be in pairs, no?):

Pita + has been one of my favorite places to get lunch for many years. They have the softest pitas I have ever encountered. They bake them daily, and use the leftover pitas to make addicting pita chips which come with every sandwich.

My favorite sandwich from Pita + is the falafel pita. Their falafel is a perfectly packed ball of ground chickpeas and bright parsley that is fried to a golden brown. They are moist and almost creamy without being heavy at all, somehow. I crave these all the time. The falafel pita comes with a creamy, nutty tahini sauce (made with sesame seeds), but you can also get the tzaziki, a yogurt & cucumber sauce. Both are fantastic. Pita + is in West county, so it's close to a lot of offices. If you don't live or work nearby... it's totally worth the trip. They also have my favorite Gyro.

Indian buffets are comfort food for me. I do not know how this happened, seeing as I'm a Midwestern white girl. But if I'm having a rough day, an Indian buffet will always make it better. One of my favorites is Gokul, a vegetarian Indian restaurant with 2 locations in the area. One location just happens to be right down the street from where I work. Ahhh. They are one of the few Indian joints that has a dinner buffet every night. And this buffet is special. Not only is the food fantastically delicious, you get a show as well. They project Baliwood movies on the wall every evening, so you can have your spirits lifted by complex flavors AND complex dance sequences.

I don't always get the buffet... the takeout is great! The Malai Kofta are vegetable balls in a über-creamy tomato sauce. The balls are made mainly with potatoes, with other assorted veggies. They are flavorful and perfectly textured...not at all dense. There is plenty of sauce, which is great sopped up with buttery naan and/or fluffy rice. This is a very comforting, happy-making meal.

What are your favorite balls in St. Louis (or your city... I will travel for balls).